'Something must change': How Viktor Gyokeres can spark Arsenal season into life | OneFootball

Struggling Gunners striker has familiar opportunity to discover some much-needed form

One moment at Portman Road on Tuesday night summed up Viktor Gyokeres' current standing at Arsenal.

Drifting out to the right wing, he took four touches as he considered his options. Three Arsenal players were free and waiting for a pass inside.

A fourth, Noni Madueke, made a move to open up some space. Misreading that run, Gyokeres scooped a pass in behind the Ipswich defence, away from any red shirts, and straight out of play.

Madueke put his face in his hands. Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly threw up their arms in frustration. Max Dowman slumped his shoulders and looked up to the sky.

It was a small moment, the kind of poor decision that any player can make and be forgiven for. In Gyokeres' case, though, it felt symptomatic of a player not functioning at the same level as those around him.

The most concerning aspect of Gyokeres' performance against Ipswich was not that misplaced pass. Nor was it that he managed just one shot, or lost three of his four duels.

It was that the intent to make an impact on the game, regardless of whether that came off, was glaringly absent.

Out of form: Viktor Gyokeres has been very disappointing for Arsenal this season

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When Madueke was beating his man and putting in crosses, Gyokeres was not making runs to get into his space. For a striker with his goal record, he is remarkably static in the box, too often content to wrestle with a defender and hope the ball comes to him.

Gyokeres scored 14 league goals last season and 11 of those came against sides in the bottom half. Those games against weaker sides were his strength.

A rotated Ipswich side, then, should have been ideal for him. Instead, the matches in which you would trust Gyokeres to make an impact now feel vanishingly thin.

In Naples last week, he had three touches inside the opposition box. That was as many as centre-back Ezri Konsa and fewer than six other Arsenal players.

Gyokeres managed only two against Ipswich. Madueke had nine, Merino five. Christos Tzolis, who came on in the 76th minute, registered two.

On the occasions that Arsenal did look for Gyokeres to hold the ball up, he fell to the ground under the slightest bit of pressure.

There is a flatness to his game that was not there last season, even when he was struggling to get goals. That desperate edge, working to try and get back into form, has gone.

Gyokeres started against both Napoli and Ipswich, games in which Arsenal had a combined 37 shots. He was responsible for one of those - a tame effort dribbled at the goalkeeper.

The issue is not one of service. Kai Havertz has found plenty of opportunities when leading Arsenal's attack. Merino had no issue delivering goals in his spell up front last season.

It is not unreasonable to expect a striker at this level to fashion chances for himself, or to more consistently get into the right positions in the box for the ball to drop to him.

Gyokeres looks like a player who badly needs the international break to spark him into life.

Whether it is an issue of confidence, disappointment at falling behind Havertz in the pecking order, frustration over the transfer speculation in the summer, or a combination of all three, something must change.

Gyokeres looks like a player who badly needs the international break to spark him into life.

Time away with Sweden could be exactly what he needs. Over the extended three-week international break, Graham Potter's side face Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania twice in the Nations League.

In March, Gyokeres scored four goals in two matches for Sweden to fire them to the World Cup. That was form, and almost more importantly a feeling, that he carried back to Arsenal.

"He was buzzing," Arteta said on his return. "He was full of energy and confidence and that's great.”

Gyokeres' best performances for Arsenal came in the period after that.

He scored twice against Fulham and then produced a superb all-round display in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, holding up the ball and linking play as well as he has done in an Arsenal shirt.

Arsenal, and Gyokeres, desperately need a repeat of that. A three-week spell of being the main man for his country has come at the perfect time.

Gyokeres appears to be shrinking in the current Arsenal environment. Arteta has often spoken about the striker's mental resilience, how he can forget bad performances and handle any difficult spells.

There is little sign of that at the moment and time with Sweden appears to be the best bet of a change in fortunes.

Gyokeres knows his country rely on him and that could bring him back out of his shell. Goals on the international stage will get the positivity flowing again.

Main man: Gyokeres is a key figure up front for Sweden, along with Alexander Isak

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That should feed into the rest of his game - the intensity and the desire to influence matches.

"It's part of the life of a footballer. Things can come at you fairly quickly and often you just have to deal with it," Potter said of Gyokeres’ struggles this week.

"We know how good Viktor is, we know how important he is. We love him with the team and I think he has the same feeling.

“Sometimes a change of context, a change of environment can help a player. We're all looking forward to having Viktor with us and helping him enjoy his football."

For now, Gyokeres' primary contribution for his club is providing an opportunity for Havertz to rest.

The upcoming international break, and with it the chance to reset and rediscover, could determine whether Arsenal's striker battle becomes a competition or remains the coronation it currently is.